Feature #4513: allow whitespace following EOL continuation backslash

• Status: Closed
• Priority: Normal
• Assignee: nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)
• Target version: -

[Rich_Morin (Rich Morin)]

In a few programming languages, the displayed or printed program can hide
critical syntactic and/or semantic information. For example, in make(1)
and Python, the difference between initial tabs and spaces can cause bugs
that are not visually apparent.

Ruby has a minor instance of this problem, in that spaces or tabs
between a backslash and the EOL will prevent the line from being continued:

 >> a \
 ?> = 2
 => 2
 >> b \ 
 SyntaxError: compile error
 (irb):3: syntax error, unexpected $undefined, expecting $end
 	from (irb):3

Could Ruby open up its syntax to allow any number of intervening spaces or tabs before the EOL?

[nahi (Hiroshi Nakamura)]

• Description updated (diff)
• Category set to core
• Status changed from Open to Assigned
• Assignee set to nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)

Regardless it's acceptable or not, we want to check nobu's local patches first. Don't you have that?

[mame (Yusuke Endoh)]

• Target version set to 2.6

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Priority changed from Normal to 3

It is easy to change, but I doubt if it is useful.

[naruse (Yui NARUSE)]

• Target version deleted (2.6)

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Description updated (diff)

Warning for a backslash followed by spaces is:

Old:

$ ruby2.5 -e ' \ '
-e:1: syntax error, unexpected $undefined

Now:

$ ruby -e ' \ '
-e:1: syntax error, unexpected backslash

Does this help you?

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Status changed from Assigned to Feedback

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Related to Bug #14597: Ripper Issue - introduced between 62674 & 62681 added

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Status changed from Feedback to Closed

Now:

$ ruby -e ' \ '
-e:1: syntax error, unexpected escaped space

Close this for now.

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Description updated (diff)